Mary welcomes the news that the Housing Commission has held its first meeting.

-Key Housing for All action establishes Commission to examine long-term housing policy issues

-Commission to look at important issues like housing tenure, cost, quality and supply, the cost of private rental accommodation and social housing

-Wording of Referendum on Housing to be examined

The Commission will be tasked with examining and reporting on:

•maintaining a sustainable housing supply and providing balance and choice of tenures, having regard to social, environmental and economic objectives

•the cost and quality of housing, the drivers of cost (including, inter alia, embodied carbon compliance), and how costs may be addressed and compliance achieved in the longer term

•the capacity of the construction sector to meet housing supply requirements

•the affordability of private rental accommodation

•the affordability of house purchasing for first-time buyers, examining in particular, measures that would complement or enhance the recently introduced affordable housing measures (including new models of affordable housing)

•rural housing and how it can be facilitated in a socially and environmentally sustainable way and allows for development of appropriate one-off housing

•the need for regulation of social housing

•the optimum role of Approved Housing Bodies in housing provision, including their role regarding the needs of vulnerable groups

•the referendum on housing (the Commission will examine the complex constitutional questions arising and examine the various proposals that have been made around potential wording for a Constitutional amendment. It will make recommendations on the appropriate wording to be put to the people).

The commission will submit reports on these areas to the Minister by the end of July 2023.

More information on the commission can be found HERE